Blair must set out his stall over Europe

IF politicians had been a little more forthcoming and frank about what their parties' true positions on Europe are (or at least, were), then probably the UK Independence Party would not have been allowed to run away with last week's vote.

IF politicians had been a little more forthcoming and frank about what their parties' true positions on Europe are (or at least, were), then probably the UK Independence Party would not have been allowed to run away with last week's vote.

But their success is not as indicative of a wholesale popular rejection of Europe as it might appear. It is true that the results can hardly been seen in any one of the 25 nations as an overwhelming endorsement of the Union.

But the real reason for the number of UKIP's astonishing - and in many ways admirable - victories, is the lack of enthusiasm for Europe demonstrated by either of the two major parties.

Only the Liberal Democrats have taken an honest and principled stance on Europe, and stuck to it, reckoning that if the electorate likes what it hears it may vote for them. This, at a general election, could be their trump card.

Meanwhile, the really disastrous effect of the UKIP result is that our Prime Minister will now be even more uncertain than before about what message he should be pushing on Europe.

Yet all may not be lost to Labour if for once Mr Blair were to climb off the fence and tell it to the country like it is. Forget the referendum - since it will not now happen in the life of this administration - and campaign for a third term on the basis of taking this country into Europe as the first consequence of re-election.

The vote thus becomes a straight fight over Europe with everyone quite clear what their vote means - a lesson UKIP exploited to their advantage in their single-issue campaign.

For the past seven years this government has hedged the issue, always insisting that joining Europe would become an option when the economic conditions were met. This was no more clever than - and not dissimilar to - John Major's disastrous approach. There will probably never be a really good time.

Equally the referendum is not to be about joining per se, but about a constitution which has not yet even been signed: more fudge, more avoidance, more confusion.

At least if the government goes into the next general election with an honest Europe agenda, and loses, it will know that it is bowing to the express collective will of the people, and has not, for example, suffered the backlash from the ill-fated Iraq adventure, or simply the effects of apathy and disdain.

Defeat under such circumstances would be honourable. Victory might well be snatched from a more inevitable defeat. But most importantly the country would be saved another five-odd years of cynical dithering for the sake of hanging onto power at any cost.